Compulsory entry into competitions on Saturday morning

[PaulMdj]

That is just mad. On every weekend morning you can’t invite guests or have a fun bounce game with 3 pals. Madness.

Why is it madness? Guests can be invited to play every saturday or sunday afternoon, or I can have a fun bounce game with 3 pals in the afternoon.

Nobody is forced to enter the comps and what is the issue with playing later in the day, believe it or not, some people prefer to play in the afternoon.

This works at our place, comps are full, in the summer there are more hours available for non-comps than comps, we get plenty of visitors and Societies coming to us and our membership is close to full.

It may not work at other Clubs, fair enough, but there’s plenty of choice in the area for Golfers to find a Club that suits them.

 

[Depreston]

Comps make the club money and the pro in the 2s they’re always going to get preferential treatment

Well that’s the case at our place

 

[KenL]

Comps make the club money and the pro in the 2s they’re always going to get preferential treatment

Well that’s the case at our place

Not at mine. Apart from club qualifying, it’s pretty much one at month.

 

[Numan]

Comps make the club money and the pro in the 2s they’re always going to get preferential treatment

Well that’s the case at our place

That's effectively the situation at our place.

 

[Depreston]

Not at mine. Apart from club qualifying, it’s pretty much one at month.

Sounds rats that 1 a month on the weekend would be hell tbh

 

[Petercool]

My club has recently introduced compulsory entry into competitions on Saturday through until 2pm

This has caused some issues within the Club!! Most Clubs in our area operate on this basis though our ours has resisted the change for some time?

Has anyone had any experience of making this change?

This is the rule at my club. Also no guests on a Saturday

I like it. Everyone playing on the busiest day are playing comp.

We have optional comp every other day.

 

[Petercool]

Effectively stopping a fully paid up 7 day member from playing prime time Saturday morning unless they "comp" is totally unreasonable.

It would be a deal-breaker for me even though as gentleman of leisure I can play through the week. If I was still working I would be very vocal in my feelings.

Totally agree with @Imurg- I decide when and how I play my golf.

Competitions are great and I mostly join in - but some Saturday mornings, I like to play social golf.

OP - has your club provided an explanation for the change?

Yeah I see what you are saying but a club does it for several reasons

If tee times are short it forces people to play comp to get a spot.
Money won in NTP or ABCDWomens is given as credit to then be spent in the pro shop. Double win for the club. Stock turnover or drinks food.
It keeps people’s handicaps ticking over so when it comes to major events like club champs, people’s handicaps are more likely to be accurate.

This is what I see at my club making Saturdays compulsory

 

[Numan]

Yeah I see what you are saying but a club does it for several reasons

If tee times are short it forces people to play comp to get a spot.
Money won in NTP or ABCDWomens is given as credit to then be spent in the pro shop. Double win for the club. Stock turnover or drinks food.
It keeps people’s handicaps ticking over so when it comes to major events like club champs, people’s handicaps are more likely to be accurate.

This is what I see at my club making Saturdays compulsory

This is one reasons given. At the same time they have increased requirement to win comps to 10 scoring rounds within 12 months and 6 should be competition rounds. All in an effort to keep handicaps up to date

 

[timd77]

The club I’m at now has comps on Saturdays and Sundays, but members can book into any slot and play a casual round, they don’t have to enter the comp that’s on (apart from certain board comps, club championships etc).

Previously clubs have the tee sheet reserved on comp days until around 2. Much preferred it that was because you know everyone on the course is in the comp, creates a bit of camaraderie.

 

[Numan]

The club I’m at now has comps on Saturdays and Sundays, but members can book into any slot and play a casual round, they don’t have to enter the comp that’s on (apart from certain board comps, club championships etc).

Previously clubs have the tee sheet reserved on comp days until around 2. Much preferred it that was because you know everyone on the course is in the comp, creates a bit of camaraderie.

That's another suggested benefit and have seen some of that in the bar afterwards as everyone knows that everyone was in the comp.

 

[RichA]

We have 1 or 2 weekend comps per month.

This Saturday is the monthly medal. 16 tee times are reserved for the comp which has 44 entrants. All the other tee times from 7am until 2pm would have been booked by members for social golf within a minute of release 17 days earlier.

The following Saturday is Club Championship R1. 30 tee times reserved and 49 entrants. The only remaining available tee times are after 2.30pm.

Looks like most of our 500-600 members prefer non-comp golf.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It's really interesting to see posts like @RichA #51. I just assumed that all clubs ran weekend comps every weekend during the season, April to Sept in the NE of England. That is all I have known at various different clubs. I'm not saying this is right, it is just the default setting. I think if I had suggested changing it at past clubs I would have got both a look of disdain and a verbal volley .

 

[D-S]

It's really interesting to see posts like @RichA #51. I just assumed that all clubs ran weekend comps every weekend during the season, April to Sept in the NE of England. That is all I have known at various different clubs. I'm not saying this is right, it is just the default setting. I think if I had suggested changing it at past clubs I would have got both a look of disdain and a verbal volley .

One thing that I have learnt from dealing with all the clubs in the County is that each club thinks whatever they do is perfectly normal and the same as all the other courses in the area, whereas in reality there are huge differences in culture, competition management, management structure, course access etc.etc. and if you explain how other clubs manage issues they are often surprised/shocked/horrified.

 

[jim8flog]

We have been that way for years if you want to book more than a day in advance.

You can only book to play without being in the comp the in the evening of the day before or on the day

 

[3 jabber]

On competition days we enter via IG into the competition times, typically until about 1:30pm. I think if you are booking one of those times you SHOULD be required to enter the competition because it is hard to get a time and often a lot of people that want to play don't get in. We always have reserve lists for the comp so if you don't want to play in the comp just book a time later in the day.
We have a big comp on Saturday and there are currently 7 people on the reserve list, I'm 2nd at the moment. I won't be happy if people in the comp times play but don't enter.

 

[KenL]

We have been that way for years if you want to book more than a day in advance.

You can only book to play without being in the comp the in the evening of the day before or on the day

Bonkers!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We have most of our club competitions on a Sunday. If you don't enter then you can't play until early afternoon. Generally our comps have an entry of about 110 players. I'm sure not everyone likes it, but with the number who do enter suggest that it works. Most of our "rock up" competitions are mid week.

Have to play on Sundays if you want to play in comps?…no wonder the country is going to rack and ruin

 

[rudebhoy]

It's really interesting to see posts like @RichA #51. I just assumed that all clubs ran weekend comps every weekend during the season, April to Sept in the NE of England. That is all I have known at various different clubs. I'm not saying this is right, it is just the default setting. I think if I had suggested changing it at past clubs I would have got both a look of disdain and a verbal volley .

The only issue I have with having to enter a comp every Saturday is every 3rd or 4th comp is strokeplay. I hate strokeplay, but appreciate some folk love it

 

[KenL]

The only issue I have with having to enter a comp every Saturday is every 3rd or 4th comp is strokeplay. I hate strokeplay, but appreciate some folk love it

Almost every comp at my place is stroke play. We have zero stableford comps at weekends. A couple across the summer on a Thursday. The senior medals that I generally don’t play in are all stroke play too.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Since I first started to play, I've viewed golf as a sport.

I join a golf club to play competitive sport in the first place. Individual comps, pairs, AmAms and teams matches.
There is most times a social aspect to these games both on the course and in the clubhouse.

My club caters for me, and those like me, very well by having plenty of Saturday comps.
In May there were 5 Saturdays and only two comps. This left 3 Saturdays for social golf.
But June, July and August have 1, 2 and 1 comp-free Saturdays.
Very few people indeed have an aversion to taking part in the Saturday comps and choose to play after 1:30pm and not in the comp.
They are catered for in this way and the occasional non-comp Saturdays.

I do not hear any complaints at my club regarding Saturday golf.